Vortex tube, air conditioning system with vortex tube, and associated control method

ABSTRACT

An air conditioning system, a vortex tube, a vortex generating member, and a method for controlling an air conditioning system are provided. The air conditioning system includes a vortex tube that produces cold air and hot air, a blower device that supplies air to the vortex tube, and an indoor unit located in an indoor space that selectively releases one of the cold air and the hot air produced from the vortex tube to the indoor space.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is related to, claims the priority benefit under 35U.S.C. §119(a) of a Korean patent application filed on Apr. 13, 2015 inthe Korean Intellectual Property Office and assigned Serial No.10-2015-0051631, the disclosure of which is incorporated hereby byreference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The present disclosure relates to a vortex tube that produces cold andhot air, an air conditioning system with the vortex tube, and associatedcontrol method.

2. Description of the Related Art

Among devices used in industry, there is a vortex tube that producescold air and hot air using vortex flows.

The vortex tube includes a vortex generating member for generating avortex, a vortex guide tube for guiding the vortex created by the vortexgenerating member, a valve for releasing part of the vortex deliveredthrough the vortex guide tube while having the remaining part of thevortex flow back to the vortex guide tube.

When high-pressured air is supplied by a compressor into the vortextube, a first vortex traveling toward the valve absorbs heat from asecond vortex flowing back by the valve while intersecting the secondvortex in the vortex guide tube. Accordingly, one side of the vortextube releases cold air and the other side of the vortex tube releaseshot air.

SUMMARY

Additional aspects and/or advantages will be set forth in part in thedescription which follows and, in part, will be apparent from thedescription, or may be learned by practice of the invention.

An air conditioning system and method for controlling the same, whichmay cool and heat an indoor space with cold and hot air produced from avortex tube are disclosed.

An air conditioning system having a vortex tube that is able to moreefficiently produce cold air are disclosed.

An air conditioning system having an indoor unit to more efficientlysupply an indoor space with cold and hot air produced from a vortex tubeis disclosed.

In accordance with an aspect of an exemplary embodiment, an airconditioning system is provided. The air conditioning system includes avortex tube that produces cold air and hot air, a blower device thatsupplies air to the vortex tube, and an indoor unit located in an indoorspace that selectively releases one of the cold air and the hot airproduced from the vortex tube to the indoor space.

The air conditioning system may include a generating unit that receivesone of the cold air and the hot air produced from the vortex tube togenerate electricity.

The generating unit may include a sterling engine.

The air conditioning system may include a vortex generating member thatgenerates a vortex, a vortex guide tube that guides the vortex generatedby the vortex generating member, and a valve that releases a part of thevortex delivered from the vortex guide tube and having the remaining ofthe vortex flow back to the vortex guide tube.

The vortex generating member may include a plurality of vortex inducingportions arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction, adivision tube formed on the inside of the vortex inducing portions tohave the form of a tube and be separate from the vortex inducingportions, and a through hole formed within the division tube that allowsa vortex to pass through the vortex generating member.

The outer circumferential face of the division tube may extend towardthe valve and have a tapering diameter.

The division tube may include a vortex inducing groove formed in aspiral form on the outer circumferential face of the division tube.

The vortex guide tube may be shaped like a cylinder with a cavity, andmay include a vortex generation unit that forms a vortex generation roomwith the vortex generating member installed therein and a vortex guidetube unit shaped like a tube and piped with the center of the vortexgeneration room, and the division tube may divide the inside of thevortex generation room in order for a first vortex produced by thevortex inducing portions to be guided by the outer circumferential faceof the division tube and for a second vortex flowing back by the valveto be guided to the inside of the division tube.

The indoor unit may be shaped like a ring and may include a blower unitwith a fluid path through which the cold air or the hot air deliveredfrom the vortex tube flows formed therein, and the blower unit mayinclude a discharging slit arranged on the inner circumference forreleasing air forward.

In accordance with an aspect of an embodiment, a vortex tube isprovided. The vortex tube includes a vortex generating member thatgenerates a vortex, a vortex guide tube that guides the vortex generatedby the vortex generating member, and a valve that releases a part of thevortex delivered from the vortex guide tube while having the remainingof the vortex flow back to the vortex guide tube, wherein the vortexgenerating member comprises a plurality of vortex inducing portionsarranged at intervals in the circumferential direction, a division tubeformed on the inside of the vortex inducing portions to have the form ofa tube and be separate from the vortex inducing portions, and a throughhole formed within the division tube that allows a vortex to passthrough the vortex generating member.

In accordance with an aspect of an exemplary embodiment, a vortexgenerating member for vortex tube is provided. The vortex generatingmember for vortex tube includes a plurality of vortex inducing portionsarranged at intervals in the circumferential direction, a division tubeformed on the inside of the vortex inducing portions to have the form ofa tube and be separate from the vortex inducing portions; and a throughhole formed within the division tube that allows a vortex to passthrough the vortex generating member.

In accordance with an aspect of an exemplary embodiment, a method forcontrolling an air conditioning system is provided. The method includesdetermining whether a mode is selected by a user, determining if themode selected by the user is cooling mode; and guiding cold air producedfrom a vortex tube to an indoor unit while guiding hot air produced fromthe vortex tube to a generating unit, if the selected mode is thecooling mode.

If the selected mode is not the cooling mode, cold air produced from avortex tube may be guided to the generating unit while hot air producedfrom the vortex tube may be guided to the indoor unit.

Other aspects, advantages, and features of the disclosure will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings,discloses exemplary embodiments of the disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other features and advantages of the present disclosurewill become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodimentsthereof with reference to the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an air conditioning system thatperforms cooling, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an air conditioning system thatperforms heating, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a vortex tube applied to an airconditioning system, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a vortex tube applied to an airconditioning system, according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a generating unit included in an airconditioning system, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an indoor unit included in an airconditioning system, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of an indoor unit included in an airconditioning system, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a vortex generating member included inan air conditioning system, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a vortex generating member included inan air conditioning system, according to another embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a vortex generating member included inan air conditioning system, according to another embodiment; and

FIG. 11 is a control flowchart for an air conditioning system, accordingto an embodiment.

Throughout the drawings, like reference numerals will be understood torefer to like parts, components, and structures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments, examples ofwhich are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein likereference numerals refer to the like elements throughout.

An air conditioning system having a vortex tube in accordance with anembodiments described with reference to accompanying drawings.

According to an embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 1, an airconditioning system may include a vortex tube 10 that receives air withmore than a certain pressure and produces cold air and hot air, a blowerunit 20 that circulates air to supply the air with more than the certainpressure to the vortex tube 10, and a unit, e.g., an indoor unit 30 thatcools or heats a space, e.g., an indoor space by supplying the indoorspace with one of the cold air or the hot air produced from the vortextube 10, and may thus use the vortex tube 10 in air conditioning of theindoor space.

The air conditioning system may include a generating unit 40 thatreceives one of the cold air and the hot air produced from the vortextube 10 to generate electricity. According to an embodiment, thegenerating unit 40 may be comprised of a sterling engine.

The air conditioning system may include a three-way valve for cooling50L that enables cold air produced from the vortex tube 10 to bedelivered to one of the indoor unit 30 and the generating unit 40, and athree-way valve for heating 50H that enables hot air produced from thevortex tube 10 to be delivered to the other one of the indoor unit 30and the generating unit 40.

In a case that the cooling mode is performed, the three-way valve forcooling 50L allows cold air produced from the vortex tube 10 to bedelivered to the indoor unit 30 to perform cooling for the indoor space,and the three-way valve for heating 50H allows hot air produced from thevortex tube 10 to be delivered to the electricity unit 40 to generateelectricity by using the hot air.

In a case that a heating mode is performed, as illustrated in FIG. 2,the tree-way valve for cooling 50L allows cold air produced from thevortex tube 10 to be delivered to the generating unit 40 to generateelectricity using the cold air, and the three-way valve for heating 50Hallows hot air produced from the vortex tube 10 to be delivered to theindoor unit 30 to perform heating for the indoor space.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the vortex tube 10 may include a vortexgenerating member 11 that generates a vortex with the air delivered fromthe blower unit 20, a vortex guide tube 12 shaped like a tube to guide afirst vortex generated by the vortex generating member 11 and a secondvortex flowing back by a valve 13, the valve 13 to release a part of thefirst vortex to the outside through the vortex guide tube 12 whilehaving the remaining part of the first vortex flow back to the vortexguide tube 12, thereby creating the second vortex, and a cover member 14combined with the vortex guide tube 12 for covering and shutting oneside of a vortex generation room 12 b located in the vortex guide tube12.

The vortex generating member 11, as illustrated in FIG. 8, may include abase unit 11 a having the form of a round plate, a plurality of vortexinducing portions 11 b that protrude from a side of the base unit 11 aand induce the air delivered to the vortex generation room 12 b to be avortex fluid, a fastener 11 c that protrudes from the other side of thebase unit 11 a and has a screw, e.g., a male screw formed on the outercircumference for the vortex generating member 11 to be fastened withthe cover member 14, a division tube 11 d that divides the inside of thevortex generation room 12 b to suppress the first vortex created by thevortex inducing portions 11 b and the second vortex flowing back by thevalve 13 from being mixed together in the vortex generation room 12 b.In the middle of the vortex generating member 11, a through hole 11 emay be formed to allow the second vortex flowing back by the valve 13 topass through the vortex generating member 11. The through hole 113 maybe formed in the center of the base unit 11 a, the fastener 11 c, andthe division tube 11 d.

The base unit 11 a may be formed to have an outside diameter thatmatches the inside diameter of the vortex generation room 12 b, so thatthe outer circumference of the base unit 11 a may be bordered on theinner circumference of the vortex generation room 12 b.

The vortex inducing portions 11 b may be centered at the through hole 11e, and formed at intervals along the circumferential direction whileinclining at an angle from the radial direction. Accordingly, the airflowing into the vortex generation room 12 b may obliquely flow to theinner side of the radial direction through the space between the vortexinducing portions 11 b, thereby generating a vortex.

Similar to the vortex inducing portions 11 b, the division tube 11 d mayintegrally extend from a side of the base unit 11 a. According to anembodiment, the division tube 11 d may be formed to be separate from thevortex inducing portions 11 b arranged at intervals in thecircumferential direction, on the inner side of the vortex inducingportions 11 b.

Accordingly, the first vortex created by the vortex inducing portions 11b may be guided by the outer circumferential face of the division tube11 d to the vortex guide tube unit 12 c of the vortex guide tube 12, andthe second vortex flowing back by the valve 13 flows into the throughhole 11 e arranged in the division tube 11 d.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the vortex guide tube 12 may be formedin a cylindrical form with a cavity, and includes the vortex creationunit 12 a having a vortex generation room 12 b arranged therein, avortex guide tube unit 12 c shaped like the form of a tube for guidingthe vortex, and an air inlet port 12 d arranged on one side of thevortex generation unit 12 a to allow the air from the blower unit 20 tobe delivered to the vortex generation room 12 b.

The vortex generation room 12 b may include the vortex generating member11 to create a vortex. The vortex guide tube unit 12 c may be piped withthe center of the vortex generation room 12 b. The air inlet port 12 dmay be approximately tangentially connected to the vortex generationroom 12 b, and allow the air delivered from the blower unit 20 to movealong the inner wall of the vortex generation room 12 b. In theembodiment, the vortex generation unit 12 a and the vortex guide tubeunit 12 c may be separately manufactured and then combined, and the airinlet port 12 d may be formed to be integral with the vortex generationunit 12 a.

The first vortex generated from the vortex generation room 12 b and thesecond vortex flowing back by the valve 13 may intersect each other inthe vortex guide tube unit 12 c and at this time, the first vortex mayabsorb heat from the second vortex. As a result, the temperature of thefirst vortex rises while the temperature of the second vortex drops.Thus, the second vortex returning to the vortex generation room 12 b maybecome cold air with a low temperature, and if the second vortex ismixed with the first vortex with a relatively higher temperature in thevortex generation room 12 b, a temperature of the cold air releasedthrough a cold air discharging tube 14 c may rise.

However, as described above, suppression of the first and secondvortexes from being mixed together in the vortex generation room 12 bmay lead to the second vortex passing through the through hole 113 whileremaining at a low temperature and then being discharged to the cold airdischarging tube 14 c. In other words, cold air with even a lowertemperature may be obtained through the division tube 11 d.

The valve 13 may include a valve combiner 13 a to be fastened with thevortex guide tube unit 12 c, a back-flow inducing portion 13 b thatinduces the vortex to flow backwards, and a connector 13 c that connectsthe valve combiner 13 a and the back-flow inducing portion 13 b. Theconnector 13 c may include a hot air discharger 13 d to release part ofthe first vortex that has turned into hot air by absorbing heat from thesecond vortex.

The cover member 14 may include a cover unit 14 b that covers the vortexgeneration room 12 b, a cover combiner 14 a formed on one side of thecover unit 14 b and a screw-combined with the vortex generation unit 12a, and the cold air discharging tube 14 c formed on the other side ofthe cover unit 14 b that discharges the second vortex flowing back tothe vortex generation room 12 b in a state of cold air. According to anembodiment, the cover unit 14 b may have the form of an approximatelyoctagonal plate such that the cover member 14 may be smoothly turned bya tool like a wrench and fastened with the vortex guide tube 12.

The generating unit 40, may include a sterling engine having cylinders41A, 41B, e.g., a pair of cylinders, pistons, e.g., a pair of pistons(not illustrated) movably installed within the cylinders 41A, 41B, acrank shaft 42 that transforms a back-and-forth motion into a rotationalmotion, and a generator 46 for generating electricity by receivingrotational power from the crankshaft 42 through a driving pulley 43, adriven pulley 44, and a belt 45.

Accordingly, when the cold air or hot air produced from the vortex tube10 is supplied to the generating unit 40, the pistons may move back andforth within the cylinders 41A, 41B and turn the crank shaft 42, therotational power produced from the crankshaft 42 may be delivered to thegenerator 46 through the pulleys 43, 44 and the belt 45, and thegenerator 46 may generate electricity.

The electricity produced by the generator 46 of the generating unit 40may be delivered to the blower unit 20 and used to drive the blower unit20. This may reduce consumption power to be used to operate the airconditioning system.

While the generating unit 40 may be comprised of the sterling engine inthe embodiment, this is illustrated by way of example and other variousdevices configured to receive cold or hot air to generate electricitymay also be used.

The blower unit 20 may include a fan 21 that sucks and blows air whilebeing rotated, and may supply the vortex tube 10 with air with more thana certain pressure.

As illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, the indoor unit 30 may be shaped like aring, and may include a blower unit 31 in which a fluid path for thecold or hot air delivered from the vortex tube may be formed, a frameunit 32 that may be shaped like a rectangle and having the blower unit31 formed on the inner side, a connection tube 33 connected to thevortex tube 10 that receives cold or hot air, and a supporter 34 withone end connected onto the outer circumferential face of the blower unit31 and the other end connected to the inner side of the frame unit 32such that the blower unit 21 may be supported within the frame unit 32along an axis A. The blower unit 31 may include a discharging slit 31 aarranged inside the inner circumference of the blower unit 31 in a ringshape, to release air forward of the indoor unit 30 from the blower unit31.

While the outer circumferential face of the division tube 11 d may beshaped like a cylinder in the embodiment, it is not limited thereto andit is also possible to concavely form a vortex inducing groove 11 f in aspiral form on the outer circumferential face of a division tube 11 d-1as illustrated in FIG. 9.

With the configuration, a vortex may further be induced by thecircumferential face of the division tube 11 d.

While the outer circumferential face of the division tube 11 d is formedto have a constant diameter in this embodiment, it is not limitedthereto, and the diameter of the outer circumference of a division tube11 d-2 as illustrated in another embodiment of FIG. 10 tapers toward thetop end of the division tube 11 d from the base unit 11 a, i.e. theouter circumferential face of the division tube 11 d-2 may be formed tobe inclined.

With this configuration, the vortex produced from the vortex inducingportion 11 b may be delivered to the vortex guide tube unit 12 c whileremaining at a fast speed.

Furthermore, although not illustrated, it is also possible to form theouter circumferential face of the division tube to have the vortexinducing groove as illustrated in the embodiment of FIG. 9 andsimultaneously, to be inclined as illustrated in the embodiment of FIG.10.

According to an embodiment, a vortex may be induced even by the outercircumferential face of the division tube, and at the same time, thevortex created by the vortex inducing portions may be delivered to thevortex guide tube unit while remaining at a fast speed.

A method for controlling the air conditioning system in accordance withis described in connection with FIG. 11.

According to an embodiment, it is determined whether a mode is selectedby the user, in operation S10. If it is determined that a mode isselected by the user, it is determined whether or not the mode iscooling mode, in operation S20. If the mode is the cooling mode, thethree-way valve for cooling 50L and three-way valve for heating 50H arecontrolled such that cold air produced from the vortex tube 10 is guidedto the indoor unit 30 while hot air produced from the vortex tube 10 isguided to the generating unit 40, in operation S30. Accordingly, coolingis performed for the indoor space by using the cold air released fromthe indoor unit 30.

If the mode is not a cooling mode, the three-way valve for cooling 50Land three-way valve for heating 50H are controlled such that cold airproduced from the vortex tube 10 is guided to the generating unit 40while hot air produced from the vortex tube 10 is guided to the indoorunit 30, in operation S40. Accordingly, heating is performed for theindoor space by using the hot air released from the indoor unit 30.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the air conditioning systemmay cool or heat an indoor space by using an indoor unit to supply theindoor space with cold or hot air produced from a vortex tube.

Furthermore, it may supply cold or hot air produced from a vortex tubefor a generating unit to generate electricity and also supply the coldor hot air to a blower unit, thereby decreasing power consumption of theair conditioning system.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, a guide tube may arrangedinside vortex forming units to suppress the air supplied from the blowerunit and the air flowing backwards from being mixed together, therebymore efficiently producing cold air through the vortex tube.

Several embodiments have thus been described, but it will be understoodthat various modifications can be made without departing the scope ofthe present disclosure. Thus, it will be apparent to those ordinaryskilled in the art that the disclosure is not limited to the embodimentsdescribed, but can encompass not only the appended claims but theequivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. An air conditioning system comprising: a vortextube that produces cold air and hot air; a blower device that suppliesair to the vortex tube; and an unit located in a space that selectivelyreleases one of the cold air and the hot air produced from the vortextube to the space.
 2. The air conditioning system of claim 1, furthercomprising: a generating unit that receives one of the cold air and thehot air produced from the vortex tube to generate electricity.
 3. Theair conditioning system of claim 2, wherein the generating unitcomprises a sterling engine.
 4. The air conditioning system of claim 1,further comprising: a vortex generating member that generates a vortex;a vortex guide tube that guides the vortex generated by the vortexgenerating member; and a valve that releases a part of the vortexdelivered from the vortex guide tube and having the remaining of thevortex flow back to the vortex guide tube.
 5. The air conditioningsystem of claim 4, wherein the vortex generating member comprises: aplurality of vortex inducing portions arranged at intervals in thecircumferential direction, a division tube formed on an inside of thevortex inducing portions to have the form of a tube and be separate fromthe vortex inducing portions, and a through hole formed within thedivision tube that allows a vortex to pass through the vortex generatingmember.
 6. The air conditioning system of claim 5, wherein the outercircumferential face of the division tube extends toward the valve andhas a tapering diameter.
 7. The air conditioning system of claim 5,wherein the division tube comprises a vortex inducing groove formed in aspiral form on the outer circumferential face of the division tube. 8.The air conditioning system of claim 5, wherein the vortex guide tube isshaped like a cylinder with a cavity, and includes a vortex generationunit that forms a vortex generation room with the vortex generatingmember installed therein and a vortex guide tube unit shaped like a tubeand piped with a center of the vortex generation room, and wherein thedivision tube divides an inside of the vortex generation room in orderfor a first vortex produced by the vortex inducing portions to be guidedby the outer circumferential face of the division tube and for a secondvortex flowing back by the valve to be guided to the inside of thedivision tube.
 9. The air conditioning system of claim 1, wherein theunit is shaped like a ring and includes a blower unit with a fluid paththrough which the cold air or the hot air delivered from the vortex tubeflows formed therein, and wherein the blower unit includes a dischargingslit arranged on an inner circumference of the blower unit that releasesair forward.
 10. A vortex tube comprising: a vortex generating memberthat generates a vortex; a vortex guide tube that guides the vortexgenerated by the vortex generating member; and a valve that releases apart of the vortex delivered from the vortex guide tube while having theremaining of the vortex flow back to the vortex guide tube, wherein thevortex generating member comprises a plurality of vortex inducingportions arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction, adivision tube formed on an inside of the vortex inducing portions tohave the form of a tube and be separate from the vortex inducingportions, and a through hole formed within the division tube that allowsa vortex to pass through the vortex generating member.
 11. The vortextube of claim 10, wherein the outer circumferential face of the divisiontube extends toward the valve and has a tapering diameter.
 12. Thevortex tube of claim 10, wherein the division tube comprises a vortexinducing groove formed in a spiral form on the outer circumferentialface of the division tube.
 13. A vortex generating member for vortextube comprising: a plurality of vortex inducing portions arranged atintervals in a circumferential direction; a division tube formed on aninside of the vortex inducing portions to have the form of a tube and beseparate from the vortex inducing portions; and a through hole formedwithin the division tube that allows a vortex to pass through the vortexgenerating member.
 14. The vortex generating member for vortex tube ofclaim 13, wherein the outer circumferential face of the division tubeextends toward the valve and has a tapering diameter.
 15. The vortexgenerating member for vortex tube of claim 13, wherein the division tubecomprises a vortex inducing groove formed in a spiral form on the outercircumferential face of the division tube.
 16. A method for controllingan air conditioning system, the method comprising: determining whether amode is selected by a user; determining if the mode selected by the useris a cooling mode; and upon determining that the selected mode is thecooling mode, guiding cold air produced from a vortex tube to a unitwhile guiding hot air produced from the vortex tube to a generatingunit.
 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising: upon determiningthat the selected mode is not the cooling mode, guiding cold airproduced from a vortex tube to the generating unit while guiding hot airproduced from the vortex tube to the unit.
 18. The air conditioningsystem of claim 1, wherein the unit is an indoor unit, the space is anindoor space, and the indoor unit selectively releases one of the coldair and the hot air produced from the vortex tube to the indoor space.19. The method of claim 16, wherein the unit is an indoor unit.